While you were sleeping: TGIF 28 April 2017

John Stupart

John Stupart

John Stupart is the creator of Daily Maverick's First Thing. When not getting up at the crack of dawn, he is working on many of DM's other newsletter offerings. John completed his masters in War Studies at Kings College and has blathered endlessly on several mediums on all things pertaining to African defence policy, strategic, operational and tactical challenges. When he isn't utterly sleep-deprived, that is.

President Jacob Zuma’s big dreams for a nuclear programme have been set back after the Western Cape high court found the co-operation agreements with Russia to be unconstitutional and unlawful. Now he might have another problem with the courts after ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe exposed a falsehood in the President’s papers before the Constitutional Court. Is it a question of semantics and interpretation or was Zuma and/or his lawyers deliberately trying to mislead the highest court of the land?

Afghanistan's reigning pain-in-the-arse organisation has announced a Spring offensive. The campaign will target foreign military personnel, according to the Taliban's officials. Although this will probably target local American and other forces in the country, tackling foreign militant groups is evidently not a priority at all.

United Airlines has reached a rather swift settlement with passenger David Dao. Dao was dragged off his flight and beaten by security for refusing to "voluntarily" give up his seat. United has since become possibly the world's worst PR disaster of 2017, sparking worldwide outrage at its draconian treatment of passengers. Dao, meanwhile, has opted not to disclose the amount paid in the settlement. "Humungous wads of cash" is a logical working estimate thus far.

A British inventor has successfully tested a flying "suit". Taking off in Vancouver Harbour, Richard Browning was able to lift off with his arm and back-mounted jet-pack suit in front of a TED audience. No word yet on the progress of the plasma guns.

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IN NUMBERS

20,000

The number of bibles sent to Romania by the United States during the Cold War. Romania converted them into toilet paper due to critical shortages.

John Stupart is the creator of Daily Maverick's First Thing. When not getting up at the crack of dawn, he is working on many of DM's other newsletter offerings. John completed his masters in War Studies at Kings College and has blathered endlessly on several mediums on all things pertaining to African defence policy, strategic, operational and tactical challenges. When he isn't utterly sleep-deprived, that is.

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